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About Me

I live and garden in zone 8 in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. We have four seasons with enough winter cold for daffodils and peonies and mild enough winters for fuchsias to stay in the ground. Winter and spring are our rainiest seasons. Summers are usually dry from mid July until September. Nights remain relatively cool through the first week in July. We experience very few days of extreme heat or cold.
The "gardening gene" must be why I have always enjoyed digging in the soil and planting things. My passion is for herbaceous perennials with something blooming almost continuously throughout the year. It has been over twenty years since the last of the lawn was banished. I have never missed it. The garden is anchored by varieties of daylilies (Hemerocallis) that meet performance standards for our cool Pacific Northwest climate. They provide a grassy foliage backdrop for many other blooming perennials as well as for their own glorious flowering display during the summer months.
The garden always brings greater joy when shared with others. It is my goal to post pictures and write at least once a month. I hope you enjoy sharing my gardening experience.
Gail

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The daylilies are finally providing summer color after being set back by the unusually cool Spring weather. Although I missed having the earlier bloom, I will enjoy having the blooms around longer than usual - some of them up to two weeks later.

After many years of planting seeds from my own crosses, I am enjoying many wonderful new creations of my own. It is exciting to be there when the first blossom opens. This one is an unusual form with petals that twist and curl. The flowers on plants created in our area seem to be better suited for our weather conditions, opening well and having better color after cool nights.